It’s difficult to know who or what to believe anymore. That must be what the Central Bank of Ireland means when it talks of a “social contract” with banks, people losing trust and confidence in banks, and when it acknowledges that they are slow to learn from the past.

But in the wake of one of the worst financial crises, are bankers are humbled? Are they capable of change?

The ISME says it conducted a survey of 834 businesses. Its results show that 55% of companies that applied for funding in the last three months were refused credit by their banks, and that in 25% of cases the subject of homes being used as collateral came up in discussion. In 12% of cases the ISME claims it was the banker who brought up the subject.